The sculpture of the Pacific God A'a is a fascinating piece of art. The figure of A'a is probably the most famous Polynesian sculpture in the world. It is designed to transport human skull and bones.
The mysterious sculpture of this deity has influenced poets and artists around the world and, above all, people in Polynesia.
The sculpture of the Pacific God A'a is made of wood.
The figure of God, known as A'a, carved in anthropomorphic form with 30 small anthropomorphic figures along the surface of the body and making up the facial features. A cavity with a lid on the back.
Henry Moore - English sculptor, painter and famous Pablo Picasso both had their own casts of the figure. The poet William Empson wrote a poem about A'a, and he continues to inspire people today.
A'a was created to contain the divine - the figure was originally used to hold the skull and bones of an important ancestor.
A'a was an important and sacred figure in Rurutu and was one of the most highly prized objects collected by the London Missionary Society.
In 1821, the islanders on the Polynesian island of Rurutu presented a group of British evangelical missionaries with a figure of a deity known as A'a as a symbol of their conversion to Christianity. 30 unique small figurines grew from his body, representing fertility and God's ability to create life. Today it is one of the British Museum's most famous, intriguing and unique sites.
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In 1821, the islanders on the Polynesian island of Rurutu presented a group of British evangelical missionaries with a figure of a deity known as A'a as a symbol of their conversion to Christianity.
30 unique small figurines grew from his body, representing fertility and God's ability to create life.
Today it is one of the British Museum's most famous, intriguing and unique sites.
Several items were sold to other islands, the most common of which were fly swatter pens that were exported to Tahiti.
Each handle was topped with a pair of back-to-back shapes. The shaft at the bottom was cut with chevrons or, more typically, consisted of a vertical row of coils. The fine spearheads were carved by miniature stylized pigs, resembling phalluses.
Carved wooden statues, partially covered with cloth, were sacred objects on Rurutu, as elsewhere in Polynesia.
Perhaps the only surviving example of figural sculpture from Rurutu is the image of God A'a. The main figure, in the style of the islands of society, has 30 small stylized figures arranged symmetrically on the torso, limbs and face, 10 are placed as facial features.
The figure has a hollow back and when found contained 24 small figures (now lost).
Researchers realized that A'a was made from sandalwood. Wood samples showed that this was done much earlier than previously thought - possibly as early as 1505. Its cavity is designed to contain a human skull and long bones to fit perfectly into it, wrapped in sacred materials such as cloth, feathers, and human hair that were also found inside. It served as something like a sarcophagus.
One tiny red feather stuck on a shard went unnoticed for 200 years.